Secretpath Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new ep?
We recorded these tracks during summer 2018, to release this EP in 2019, since then everyone of us has been busy with other music projects and bands. We like to explore many different aspects of music and just one band is not enough!

2.Recently you have released a new ep, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
This one is more straight-forward than the other works we released before, the idea was to keep a "less thinking and more doing" approach! The previous composition process was too slow and didn't leave us time to follow the other projects.

3.The lyrics on the new recording are a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the story you had covered on the new release?
Our concepts are never too strict: there isn't a precise story that goes from the first song to the last. Even this time we're talking about a journey, there's an intro and then "Crystal Ice" that talks about the voyage of a crew that fights against the weather; when the ship finally reaches the destination, there's only the shipmaster, and a crewman, left. This is about everything and everyone you lose while in your journey, it's a song about loss; the marvelous view of the aurora borealis and the polar lands was the destination, can it compensate the loss? Was it worth it? Then there's "Dominatio Tempestatis", talking about a tiny cloud that grows becoming a dreadful storm. "Raptus" is a song talking about being driven by insanity: in the other songs it's nature that carries the man, while in this one the mind has the same role; this gives another key to decipher the concept. "Storm of Revenge" takes us again inside a ship, where the crew is facing a storm: the ship's being torn to pieces by the elements and a crewman who's about to fall pledges not to challenge the sea again. The entire concept is about how's difficult to oppose to the nature (the elements), to our nature (our mind); are we choosing our path or are we driven by a current?

4.So far most of the releases have been ep's or demo's with the only full length being released in 2013, can you tell us a little bit more about going this route?
So many things to do, so little time!

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Secretpath'?
This last concept I've described before is a perfect example: when you think about the story and feelings we present in the songs, you can make your own idea about the secret path that stands before us. Everyone is following, or is driven by, his own path; sometimes it is a road we can easily see, other times it is a hidden path, more often it is a secret path and we can't know where it will take us.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
This artwork was made by Lisa Bilotti, former (and first) bassist of the band; it depicts our Wanderer that faces the ocean waves, following his (or her) path towards... the unknown!

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
I remember a nice show in Foggia in 2014, it was something I could never forget. We were cool about it and everything went smoothly, by the time we finished we suddenly realized the show was over! We were dressed poorly: I were weirdly formal (necktie included), the other ones on gym clothes or flannel shirts, and I can still remember the laughs and the looks of the crowd. When the music started we delivered our mix of brutality and melody while smiling and joking.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for 2019?
Not that I know! We even miss a bassist, in fact the bass was recorded by Pierluigi Ammirata, our guitarist.

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of melodic black and death metal?
We know we're an unusual band: our music doesn't fit exactly a genre, we like to keep ourselves open minded and this makes our music difficult to be labeled as one genre or another. The result is that we can have fans from every genre, but we can also disappoint fans from every genre of music! If there's something that often raises some interest is my way of singing, using many different vocal techniques; some love it, some hate it.

10.When can we expect another full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
That is another secret path I'm afraid!

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Well I try to listen to everything I can get my ears on! Seriously: radio music, folk music (from every corner of the world), classical music, rock and metal, musicals too... everything (even the things I don't like!), just to keep myself open-minded and to find inspiration everywhere. My choices are almost always random and I try to keep them weird if possible, better if mixed with extreme Metal: Laurent Lunoir and Laure Le Prunenec (from Igorrr and many other bands) are among my favorites!

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Well I'm a bit of a nerd: so videogames and Dungeons & Dragons, reading fantasy and historical novels... these kind of interests along with beer drinking and eating/farming hot peppers!

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I wish to thank you and the poor souls who read this all, I assure you: the music won't be so boring!

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Ahl Sina Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Sure, We are AHL SINA Band from Egypt, Germany and USA, the band was originally  formed in Egypt in 2009 founded by our Singer “Moustafa Troll” We want to sound completely different! Making music that doesn’t sound like other bands! Our lyrical message is about human conflicts and peace!


2. Recently you have released your first full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording.

AHL SINA is an Oriental Extreme Metal inspired mainly by the old legacy of the Egyptian folklore music mixed with old school Metal. In this record We went through many different styles, you will find the music flow change from one riff to another, from classic rock to the extreme melodic Death & Black metal.


3. The band has been around since 2009 but you waited until 2019 to release the first album, can you tell us a little bit more about the earlier years?

Actually, the beginning was earlier than 2009, it was Me, Shung & Ronnie alone in a band called (BEYOND EAST). In 2005 we recorded our first EP then I left the band for some health issues! In 2009 I returned to Cairo from Sinai and met with Shung, I told him about the idea of AHL SINA & the debut album concept of 'Troops of Pain', we wrote together “as usual” few new songs then we formed a complete line up of 9 members, performed in some festival in Cairo for three times till 2014, the lineup changed a lot during that time, and I felt it wouldn’t be the right step to record the album back then. In 2015 I moved to Germany and it took around two years to find the right members. I found our drummer Shaadie from USA, Stefanie (Violin) & Marcel (Bass guitar) from Germany and of course we all consider them a great gift to AHL SINA, then our professional & talented Producer ‘Joey Jones’ so it was just the right time to record this album.

4. The lyrics on the recording are a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the story you cover with your songwriting?

The album has a flow of events in the sequence of the songs. From the track 1 to track 8, the story unfolds of creation, humanity and what we have become. The main focus is on racism and bigotry, which we criticize in our album, and the story of false preachers in various religious institutions.

Track 1, "The Gift", is about the creation of the Earth, how untouched & virgin it was and how harmonious everything was.

Track 2, "Vowed", describes how evil swept through the Earth & how it poisoned generation after generation.

Tracks 3, 4 & 5: As you can see on the album cover artwork, three false preachers are represented watching the Earth burning because of their corrupt preaching, who abused peaceful messages and turned them into hate, separation, war, racism and bigotry.

Track 6, "Beyond the East", describes how the Eastern civilization was thriving and offered humanity enlightenment, science and justice.

Track 7, "No Boundaries - The Fall of Utopia": AHL SINA is destroying racism and bigotry.

Track 8, "Troops of Pain": This is the peaceful message that AHL SINA is aspiring to and hoping for. Troops of pain are those who suffered and died as a result of such hypocrisy, those who bared the consequence of such sinister, conniving and ongoing conspiracy. Our message is a message of peace that sheds light on this perpetual global topic that existed since the beginning of time, passing from one era to the next for centuries till the end of time. Our message is directed against those false preachers from different faiths, who stained what was supposed to be pure, that turned man against his brother till destruction prevailed!

Track 9, "Regret": An instrumental song/outro for which we used a fusion of two different instruments, one from the West and one from the East, hoping that music can unite us all and that’s why we chose this title.


5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'AHL SINA'?

AHL SINA simply means people of Sinai, but I had a specific reason for choosing this name. Sinai is a very peaceful place for all human beings, cultures and races. People can live there together in peace, no matter where they come from or what they believe.


6. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover/

The three represented false preachers from the three monotheistic religions! Those who abused any peaceful messages and turned it into hate, separation, war, racism & bigotry! Watching the earth burning is enough proof to their corrupt preaching!


7. All of the band members live in different parts of the world, can you tell us how this works out in the recording process?

The foundation of the line-up was not easy, that’s why we had several changes between 2009 back home in Egypt, when the band started, and 2014, except for the four rooted members! Me, my music mate Shung, the guitarist and the music composer of this album, and the oriental section Ahmed Eskandarny on nay flutes and Amr Zanaty on percussion. After I moved to Germany I was lucky enough to find Shaadie Khoury our drummer. Shaadie is a very well known drummer in the Egyptian scene. He moved to America back in '97
I then found Stefanie Pfaffenzeller from the Frankfurt Radio Symphony to be our violinist. I heard her in a chamber music concert as a soloist and she truly amazed me. I offered her to meet and listen to our album guide. Marcel Hauptmann on bass guitar, I play with Marcel in Thrash Metal Band called WAR AGENDA.

It was a big risk to work on an album between three different continents, ONLINE, and the members would NOT meet! I thought for many nights that it would never work, but I was wrong. It worked better than we ever imagined! I organized everything from Germany. The recording started in Cairo - Egypt, all guitars, nay flutes, percussion and keyboards. Then the studio in Cairo transferred all the recorded materials (stems) to me. Then we recorded the violin and bass guitar here in Germany. I added the violin and bass lines (stems) to the others and transferred them to the USA for the drum recording. Then everything was transferred back to me in Germany to finish the recording process with my vocals. That means: Every musician in the band added his own lines that suit the guide of our album.


8. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Yes we received some deals from some labels but we are waiting for the right one!


9. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of extreme metal?

It’s surprising somehow! We started having fans from the Classic scene as well since they considered the album as a Rock/Metal Opera! So far it’s really good and we are very happy about the feedback! However we still consider ourselves as an underground/new band and we need sometimes to get recognized by the metal scene worldwide.



10. What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are apart of?

Me & Marcel are working together in the new WAR AGENDA Album, Shaadie is doing some new music for  his band ULTRAMUNDANE, Stefanie is in her normal routine as a classic musician in the symphony orchestra, Ahmed is working with Egyptian well-known singers & Amr is doing many workshops and live concerts in the Latin/Jazz scene.

Most importantly, we all started writing the second AHL SINA Album.


11. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

You never know what the future brings but we are very motivated and hopefully we will some good chances to perform our music in some summer festivals in Europe.


12. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

AHL SINA's music as I mentioned before has a lot of inspirations to the legacy of the old Egyptian folklore music, when it comes to metal inspirations, we are old school Warriors!

13. What are some of your non musical interests?

 Hiking. Reading, Meditation & walking in forests!


14. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thank you for interviewing us!

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The Promise Of Plague/The Tomb Of Lost Lovers/2019 Full Length Review

  The  Promise  Of  Plague  are  a  band  from  Louisville,  Kentucky  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  industrial  and  punk  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self released  2019  album  "The  Tomb  of  Lost  Lovers"which  will  be  released  in  March.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  programmed  beats  while t he  vocals  are  mostly  grim  black  metal  screams.  When  the music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  as  well  as  some  keyboards  also  being  used  at times.

  Clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  great  amount  of  industrial  elements  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  at  times.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  the  music  also  mixing  in  a  decent  amount  of  punk  elements. As  the  album  progresses  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Venom's  "Warhead"which  also  introduces  melodic  guitar  leads  onto  the  recording  and  a  later  tracks  brings  in  female  vocals and  spoken  word  samples.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  The  Promise  Of  Plague  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black  metal,  industrial  and  punk  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Quiet"  "Warhead"  and  "Tomb  Of  Lost  Lovers".  8  out  of  10.

thepromiseofplague.bandcamp.com 

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Secretpath/Dominatio Tempestasis/Masked Dead Records/2019 EP Review

  Secretpath  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  ep  "Dominatio  Tempestasis"  which  was  released  by  Masked  Dead  Records.

  A  very  epic  synth  orientated  into  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  symphonic  elements  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  adding  in  some  elements  of  neo-classical  and  all  of  the  instruments  sound  very  powerful.

  Vocals  are  mostly  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.  Clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  at  times  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  melody  and  throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Water  sounds  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  acoustic  guitars  and  throat  singing.  At  times  the  clean  vocals  also  get  very  operatic  sounding  and  some  of  the  sections  of  the  music  also  adds  in  death  metal  growls, progressive  and  groove  metal  influences.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  a  concept  album  based  upon  a  seaman  fighting  against  the  ocean.

  In  my  opinion  Secretpath  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Crystal  Ice"  and  "Storm  of  Revenge".  8  out  of  10.

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Kaamos Warriors/Ikuisen Talven Sarastus/Inverse Records/2019 CD Review

  Kaamos  Warriors  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  dark,  melodic,  symphonic  and  melancholic  form  of  black  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Ikuisen  Talven Sarastus"  which  will  be  released  on  February  15th  by  Inverse  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavier  riffing  a  few  seconds  later.  Vocals  are  also  mostly  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  also  bringing  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  symphonic  elements  are  also added  into some  parts  of  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  classical  guitars  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  You  can  also  hear  a  more  modern  style  of  melody  also  being  utilized  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  most  of  the  tracks  sound  very  different  from  each  other.

  When  growls  are utilized  they  bring  elements  of  death  metal  onto  the  recording  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Some  of  the  guitar  riffing  also  brings  in  elements  of  Nordic  style  black'n'roll  which  also  gives  the  music  a  lot  more  diversity.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  Finnish  and  cover  dark,  melancholic,  winter  and  coldness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kaamos  Warriors  are  a  very  great  sounding  melancholic  and  melodic  dark  metal  band  and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  that  is  very  different,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Kaamos  Warriors"  "Immortals"  and  "Secrets  Of  the  Stars".  8  out  of  10.

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Kaarnekorpi/Rajankaviga/2018 CD Review

  Kaarnekorpi  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  mixture  of  viking  and  folk  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Rajankaviga".

  A  very  hard  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  all of the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  giving  the  songs  more  of  an  old  school  metal  style  and  the  vocals  also  bring  in  black  metal  screams.

  Female  vocals can  also be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  music  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats.The  guitar  riffing  also  adds in  a  good  amount  of  melody  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  Keyboards  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  folk  metal  elements.

   Some  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  some  influences  from  the  90's  Finnish  metal  era  as  well  as  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  brief  use  of  folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard,  death  metal  growls  can  also be  heard  at  times.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Finnish  and  cover  war,  battles  and  glorious  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kaarnekorpi  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  viking  and  folk  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Valtakunta"  "Verkonlakija"  and  "Kaamoksen  lapsi".  8  out  of  10.       

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGCkjPUIcbo

Primitive Man/Hell/Translation Loss Records/2019 Split Album Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Denver,  Colorado's  Primitive  Man  and  Portland,  Oregon's  Hell  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Translation  Loss  Records  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Primitive  Man  who  return  with  their  blackened  mixture  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  with  some  distorted  amp  noises  before  adding  in  some  heavy  sludge  and  doom  metal  riffing.  Vocals  are  mostly  deep  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  some  black  metal  screams  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Both  of  their  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  while  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  when  the  music  speeds  up  as  well  as  the  music  always  sticking  to  a  very  dark  and  heavy  direction,  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  hatred  and  misanthropy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Primitive  Man  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  doom  and  sludge  metal,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Oily  Tears".

  Next  up  is  hell  a  band  that  plays  a  blackened  mixture  of  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  some  distorted  amp  sounds  before  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.  Their  track  is  also  9  minutes  in  length  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal a re  added  in  the  slow  and  heavy  riffing.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  a  small  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  as  well  as  the  track  always  sticking  to  a  very  dark  and  heavy  musical  direction.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  misery,  darkness,  pain  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hell  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  drone,  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  black,  sludge  and  doom  metal.  8  out  of  10.

https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2019/02/20/full-split-stream-primitive-man-hell/